New London - City firefighters rescued two people from a burning house at 23 Moore Ave. early Saturday and brought the two-alarm fire under control before it could spread to nearby buildings.

Battalion Chief Marc Melanson of the New London Fire Department said when the fire company arrived at 6:16 a.m. there was heavy fire in the rear of the building and heavy smoke on the second floor of the 2 1/2 story wood frame home.

Melanson said there was a person on the roof and that a resident sitting on the first floor porch reported that there was an occupant on the first floor. The fire crew forced the front door open to find a man who was conscious, but dazed, on the first floor, Melanson said.

One of the occupants of the house was taken to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital, according to Fire Marshal Calvin Darrow. The nature and seriousness of the man's injuries was not known.

Darrow said the cause and origin has not yet been determined and that the State Fire Marshal's Office is assisting with the investigation. Anyone with information is being asked to call the arson hotline at 1-800-ARSON, Darrow said.

City fire crews declared a second alarm shortly after arriving at the scene. They were helped by the Firefighter Assistant and Search (FAST) teams from the Naval Submarine Base and Mohegan Sun and by Waterford firefighters.

The fire was brought under control by 6:42 a.m, with three water lines operating at one point, according to Melanson. Several people were treated at the scene for minor injuries. Smoke detectors installed in the house about a year ago through a city program alerted residents to the fire, Darrow noted.

Several cats did not survive the fire, Melanson said.

The fire rendered the home uninhabitable. The American Red Cross was assisting the two men who lived at the home and a third man who was staying overnight, according to Sue Rochester Bolen, senior director of disaster services for the area Red Cross chapter.

Public records indicate the home is owned by Thomas and Michelle Fusco.